My mother was a deeply political person & just as deeply conservative until the day she died at 87. She took to the McCarthy witch-hunt with a vengeance, seeing pinkos & reds everywhere, even in the weather reporter. She was by no means a stupid woman; she was well informed from a rightwing point of view. But behind her views was a rock-solid edifice of misanthropy. She liked people–she wasn’t a hater–but was disappointed in the human race.
Misanthropy, distrust, disappointment, & paranoia are so evident when you read the stuff pumped out by Islamophobes, anti-Semites, libertarians, Assad & Putin supporters, rightwing nationalists, fascists. It’s the very basis of white supremacism, racism, misogyny. You can’t build movements for social justice if you don’t believe in the human race, if you don’t think humanity is worth fighting for & with. If your commitment falters, keep your eyes on the kids & you won’t go wrong.